Bicep Curl Elbow Pain (Root Cause & How To Fix)

If you experience elbow pain from lifting, especially during or after bicep curl, you've come to the right place. For years I struggled with elbow problems during bicep curl exercises: barbell curl, preacher curl, seated dumbbell curl, hammer curl, machine curl, and cable curl. I fixed my elbow pain. I will show you exactly how to do the same. Let's begin!

Elbow pain during bicep curls can occur for several reasons, including restricted forearm muscles, inadequate warm-up of the biceps, triceps, and forearm muscles before exercising, lifting weights that are too heavy (e.g., heavy preacher curls), poor form or lifting technique during bicep curls, and a sudden increase in training volume (i.e., performing an excessive amount of bicep curl sets). Any of these factors, individually or in combination, can cause your elbow to hurt during bicep curls. However, for most weight lifters, the primary cause is restricted (shortened, tight and tense) triceps and forearm muscles.

To cure or prevent elbow pain during curls, it is crucial to prioritize proper form, gradually increase weights, and, most importantly, maintain pliable triceps and forearm muscles through self-myofascial release (SMR) exercises. These exercises can instantly relieve the restrictions in the muscles and minimize the risk of injury, overuse, and inflammation.

"Pull" exercises such as bicep curls can trigger or aggravate elbow pain because the exercise involve the triceps and elbow tendons. The repetitive use of the elbow during bicep curls can strain and inflame the elbow tendons and elbow joint. When the elbow tendons become inflamed, it causes acute elbow pain after the workout - this is what causes your elbow to hurt after doing bicep curls.

Acute elbow pain is an inflammatory pain experienced during or immediately after working out. In the case of a bicep curl workout, it includes:

• Burning pain around the elbow joint after bicep curls
  
• A sensation of heat, swelling, or redness around elbow joint after bicep curls
• Sore elbow after bicep curls
• Elbow pain when bending and straightening arm after bicep curls

A side-by-side comparison photo of the triceps and forearm flexor muscles. Left photo: Illustration of the shoulder joint, scapula, arm bone, and triceps brachii muscle and tendon. Right photo: Illustration of the forearm flexor muscles and tendon. When these muscles groups become shortened, they cause posterior and inner elbow pain during bicep curl. The "X" indicated on each photo is where trigger points in the forearm flexors and triceps muscle tend to occur. Trigger points, also known as muscle knots, are small, hyperirritable spots within a muscle. They cause pain and tenderness and can develop due to muscle overuse, stress, or injury. Image source: Google

If you experience inner elbow pain while doing bicep curls, the cause is usually a combination of restricted (tight and shortened) triceps muscle and forearm muscles, and inflamed elbow tendon. During biceps curl, the forearm flexor muscles contract and triceps muscle extend, and as a result, they pull and put tension on the elbow tendons and triceps tendon.

The forearm flexor muscles can overstretch and inflame the tendon on the inside part of the elbow and cause inner elbow pain (also known as golfer's elbow or medial epicondylitis). Likewise, the triceps muscles can overstretch and inflame the triceps tendon at the back of the elbow and cause posterior elbow pain (also known as triceps tendonitis or lifters elbow).

Inner elbow pain can be chronic (develop over time) or acute (occur suddenly from overloading the elbow). Acute pain is an inflammatory pain experienced during or immediately after an exercise. In this case, experiencing inner elbow pain while doing bicep curls is a sign of acute elbow pain.

Nurudeen performing bicep curls (barbell curls and seated dumbbell curls) at gym (2017). The bicep curl is a "pull" exercise. It targets and develop the biceps muscle (biceps brachii and brachialis). "Pull" exercises such as bicep curls can aggravate golfer's elbow (pain on the inner part of the elbow), tennis elbow (pain on the outside part of the elbow), and triceps tendonitis (pain at the back of elbow).

The muscle conditions that lead to elbow pain are gradual and cumulative. Through repetitive use and over time, the forearm muscles and triceps muscle become restricted (shortened, inelastic). This process of muscle restriction can take months or years to develop.

When the triceps muscles become chronically restricted (lasting over three months), a routine activity at home or work (carrying a bag of groceries, holding or gripping something tightly), or at the gym (e.g. routine bicep curls workout) can suddenly trigger elbow pain. Unfortunately, most people do not realize their forearm or triceps are restricted until a routine activity unexpectedly triggers elbow pain.

The forearm muscles contract when you perform exercises involving your arms (such as bicep curls). Over time as you exercise, the forearm extensor muscles, forearm flexor muscles, and triceps muscle become tighter and shorter. Shortened forearm muscles and triceps muscle pull and put tension on the elbow tendons and decrease the elasticity of the elbow tendon. As a result, the elbow tendons get overloaded and inflamed, and cause elbow pain during biceps curl.

The pain usually occurs inside of the elbow (golfer's elbow), outside the elbow (tennis elbow), or at the back of the elbow (triceps tendonitis). The elbow tendons that cause elbow pain during biceps curl include the extensor elbow tendon (outside elbow tendon), medial elbow tendon (inside elbow tendon), and triceps brachii tendon (posterior elbow tendon).

For a detailed article on the root causes of elbow pain from lifting weights, including the types of elbow tendonitis (tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, triceps tendonitis), elbow bursitis, chronic vs. acute elbow pain, and the fastest way to cure elbow pain, check out this complete guide: how to fix elbow pain from lifting.

Important: Apart from musculoskeletal injuries (muscle and tendon-related pain), other medical conditions can contribute to elbow pain during curls. These include nerve entrapment and compression, bone fractures and dislocations, and arthritis, which causes joint inflammation, pain, and stiffness. If your condition is medically related, it's important to consult your healthcare provider to ensure there are no structural issues with your elbow.

A side-by-side comparison photo of the forearm extensors and flexor muscles. Left photo: Illustration of the forearm extensor muscle group and tendon. Right photo: Illustration of the forearm flexor muscles and tendon. When these muscles groups become shortened, they cause outer and inner elbow pain during curls. The "X" indicated on each photo is where trigger points in the forearm muscles tend to occur. Trigger points cause pain and tenderness and can develop due to muscle overuse, stress, or injury. Image source: Google

No, biceps curl elbow pain (golfer's elbow) is different from biceps tendonitis. Golfer's elbow (also known as medial epicondylitis) is inflammation of the medial elbow tendon. If you experience inner elbow pain during biceps curl, it's likely golfer's elbow.

Biceps tendonitis is inflammation of the upper biceps tendon - the tendon that attaches the long head of the biceps muscle (outer biceps muscle) to the shoulder blade bone. Bicep tendonitis often cause pain, stiffness or weakness at the front of the shoulder during biceps curl. To learn more about shoulder pain, check out this complete guide: Shoulder Pain from Lifting Weights.

When performed properly with good technique, bicep curls are not bad for the elbows. However, performing bicep curls without first warming up (e.g. stretching the forearm muscles, triceps muscle and biceps muscle), lifting a weight too heavy, or a sudden increase in training volume (i.e. performing an excessive amount of bicep curl sets) can overload the elbow tendons and triceps tendon, and cause elbow tendonitis and elbow pain.

Nurudeen performing barbell curls during a biceps workout at gym (2019). Barbell curls is a powerful exercise to build massive arms. Unlike seated bicep curls, standing barbell curls allows for more weights and "cheating reps". A cheating rep is when you use your legs and back to curl the weights up for maximum failure during a set. During heavy barbell curls, it's easier for the forearm muscles to get overloaded, which can trigger both inner elbow pain and outer elbow pain.

When performed properly with good technique, preacher curls is not bad for the elbow and does not cause elbow problems. However, preacher curls can trigger or aggravate elbow tendonitis and elbow pain.

The preacher curl exercise isolate and target the biceps brachii (the long and short head of the biceps muscle). The exercise involve the biceps muscle, forearm muscles, triceps muscle, triceps tendon, and elbow tendons (medial and lateral tendons).

During preacher curls, the forearm muscles and triceps tendon can get overloaded; and as a result, it can overstretch and inflame the elbow tendons and triceps tendon, and causes acute elbow pain or aggravate chronic elbow pain. Preacher curls can aggravate golfer's elbow (inner elbow pain) and triceps tendonitis (posterior elbow pain).

When performed properly with good technique, bicep curls does not cause elbow pain. However, bicep curls can trigger or aggravate elbow tendonitis, elbow pain, and forearm pain.

"Pull" exercises such as bicep curls involve the biceps muscle, forearm muscles, triceps muscle, elbow tendons, and elbow joint. During bicep curls, the forearm muscles can get overloaded. When the forearm muscles become overloaded, it can overstretch and inflame the elbow tendons and causes acute elbow pain (sharp pain) or aggravate chronic elbow pain (dull pain).

When performed properly with good technique, bicep curls does not damage elbows. However, for a person experiencing elbow tendonitis, bicep curls can trigger acute elbow pain or aggravate chronic elbow pain, leading to elbow tendinosis.

Tendinosis is the deterioration of tendon collagen due to repetitive stress and chronic injury. Tendinosis results in the loss of strength in the tendon and often lead to tendon tear or rupture. So doing bicep curls with elbow tendonitis (i.e. inflammatory elbow pain) can lead to elbow tendinosis (i.e. degeneration of elbow tendon) and damage the elbows.

Nurudeen performing one-arm machine preacher curls during biceps workout (2022). Click here to watch video. Machine preacher curls isolate and target the biceps muscle (long head and short head of biceps), the brachialis (a muscle located beneath the biceps), and the forearm flexor muscles. It's an effective exercise to add size and increase the peak of the biceps. Preacher curls is a "pull" exercise; it can trigger inside elbow pain (golfer's elbow) and posterior elbow pain (triceps tendonitis). Preacher curls can also overload the forearm flexor muscles and trigger forearm pain and wrist pain.

When performed properly with good technique, bicep curls is a safe exercise and will not cause injury to the elbow. However any or a combinations of the following factors can cause you to hurt your elbow during bicep curls:

• Inadequate warm-up of the biceps, forearms, elbow tendons, and triceps tendon before doing bicep curls
• Inadequate stretching of the biceps, triceps, and forearms before doing bicep curls
• Lifting a weight too heavy (e.g. heavy preacher curls)
• Bad bicep curls form or technique. To learn proper bicep curl technique, check out this article.
• Sudden increase in training volume (i.e. performing an excessive amount of bicep curl sets)
• Doing bicep curls while experiencing ongoing mild-to-severe elbow tendonitis

It depends on the severity of the elbow pain. If the elbow tendonitis causes "low to mild" pain, most people can use sports tape, kino tape, elbow sleeves, elbow brace, elbow straps, or other short-term pain relief remedies to reduce elbow pain during bicep curls. If the elbow tendonitis is chronic and severe, or causes sharp pain in the elbow during bicep curls, it's best to treat the root cause of the pain before resuming physical training.

It's possible to stop and relieve elbow pain (inner, outer, posterior pain) from bicep curl by releasing the forearm flexor muscles, forearm extensor muscles, and triceps muscle and tendon. You can accomplish this by using a myofascial release massage ball. Once the restricted muscles in the forearm and triceps are released, it will alleviate the tension on the elbow tendons, which allows the tendons to heal.

Using a combination of post-workout treatments, for example - RICE therapy (to relieve burning pain), magnesium supplementation (to reduce inflammation), and self-myofascial release (SMR), it's possible to heal sharp and severe forearm or elbow pain from bicep curls in 7-10 days. To accomplish this, it will require performing self-myofascial release on the forearms and triceps, at least 2-3 times a day.

Keep in mind that simply resting the elbow (i.e. taking a break from physical training), might temporarily provide relief, but it will not fix the root cause of the pain (e.g. restricted triceps and forearm muscles that overload the elbow tendons and cause elbow pain during bicep curl).

Nurudeen performing cable bicep curls during biceps workout (2022). Click here to watch video. Cable bicep curls is a variation of the barbell bicep curl exercise. However, unlike the barbell bicep curls which uses gravity as resistance, the cable bicep curls uses the cable as resistance to stimulate the biceps muscle to grow. Like most "pull" exercises, the cable bicep curl exercise can trigger inner elbow pain (golfers elbow), outer elbow pain (tennis elbow), and forearm muscle pain.

Nurudeen performing hammer curls with dumbbells during biceps workout (2022). Click here to watch video. Hammer curls target the outside bicep muscle (aka long head of the biceps); the brachialis (a muscle located beneath the biceps), and the brachioradialis (a forearm muscles). Hammer curls can trigger outside elbow pain and triceps tendonitis (posterior elbow pain).

To stop elbow pain during bicep curls, you have two approaches: short-term pain relief remedies for temporary relief and addressing the root cause of the pain to prevent its recurrence.

Short-term pain relief remedies include joint supplements and vitamins, anti-inflammatory painkillers (NSAIDs), physical therapy, stretching, ice and rest therapy, elbow braces, elbow straps, kinesiology tape, and topical anti-inflammatory solutions (oils and creams). For a detailed explanation, refer to this article.

To permanently cure elbow pain and prevent it from affecting your workouts, it's essential to address the root causes, which include chronic inflammation, magnesium deficiency, and muscle restriction. The TitaniumPhysique Program can help you achieve this goal.

The exercises below can help you relieve acute or chronic elbow pain from bicep curls, including tennis elbow (outer pain), golfer's elbow (inner pain), or triceps tendonitis (posterior pain). You will need a peanut ball and a lacrosse ball, found on Amazon or your local sporting goods store.

If your elbow pain is acute (causing burning pain after working out), you can place an ice pack on the elbow when you are not using the massage ball. Suppose your elbow pain is chronic (causing dull or achy pain during/after working out). In that case, you can supplement it with magnesium to heal and decalcify the elbow tendons.

Important: Restricted triceps and forearm muscles that cause elbow pain develop over many years, so using the correct treatment techniques for lasting results is necessary.

For a step-by-step, easy-to-follow video-based guide to cure and prevent elbow pain, try the TitaniumPhysique Program today. Use the code "blog10" for a limited time to save an extra 10% OFF.

Here is how to quickly relieve elbow pain:

To fix tennis elbow, use a peanut ball to massage the forearm extensor muscles (click the link to see photo). Lean against a wall and place the peanut ball on the forearm extensor muscles. Roll out (massage) the muscles with the peanut ball for 3-5 minutes. Stretch the forearm extensor muscles. Perform this routine once a day. Rest the muscle the following day, then repeat the routine. For faster results, perform the exercise twice a day, once in the morning and once at night.

Nurudeen demonstrating how to fix tennis elbow using a peanut ball to massage the forearm extensor muscles

To fix golfer's elbow, use a peanut or lacrosse ball to massage the forearm flexor muscles (click the link to see photo). Sit on a chair next to a table. Place the ball on the table and position your forearm flexor muscles on top of it. Roll out (massage) the muscle with the ball for 3-5 minutes. Stretch the forearm flexor muscles. Perform this routine once a day. Rest the muscle the following day, then repeat the routine. For faster results, perform the exercise twice a day, once in the morning and once at night.

Nurudeen demonstrating how to fix golfer's elbow using a lacrosse ball to massage the forearm flexor muscles.

To fix triceps tendonitis, use a peanut ball to massage the triceps muscle and tendon (see photo below). Sit on a chair next to a table. Place the ball on the table and position your triceps muscle on top of it. Roll out (massage) the triceps muscle and tendon with the ball for 3-5 minutes. Start near your armpit and work down to the triceps tendon, just above the elbow joint. Stretch the triceps muscle. Perform this routine once a day. Rest the muscle the following day, then repeat the routine. For faster results, perform the exercise twice a day, once in the morning and once at night.

Nurudeen demonstrating how to fix triceps tendonitis using a peanut ball to massage the triceps muscles.

Important: part of avoiding chronic elbow pain, is preventing acute elbow pain. If you begin to feel elbow pain during bicep curls, reduce the weights. If the pain persist, stop the exercise and train another body part that does not involve your elbow. Pushing through a workout with elbow pain will intensify the degree of post-workout acute inflammation, worsen the pain symptoms and prolong the recovery of the elbow.

To avoid elbow pain when doing bicep curls, follow these steps:

1. Stretch the biceps, forearms, and triceps before doing bicep curls (e.g. forearm flexor stretch).
2. Start your biceps workout by warming up of the elbow tendons (e.g. resistance band pull-apart).
3. If performing heavy barbell curls or preacher curls, incrementally add weights to avoid sudden overload of the forearm muscles, triceps tendon and elbow tendons.
   
4. Learn and always good bicep curl exercise technique. To learn proper bicep curl technique, check out this article.
5. Incrementally increase training volume (i.e. be mindful about doing an excessive amount of bicep curl sets).
6. Supplement with magnesium to heal and decalcify the elbow tendons. Magnesium also relax muscles to reduce pain.
   

7. Incorporate self-myofascial release (SMR) exercises into your recovery routine. Perform SMR on the forearm extensors, forearm flexors, and triceps muscle/tendon at least twice a week to keep the forearms and triceps pliable.

Important - keep in mind that restricted triceps and forearm muscles that cause elbow pain develop over many years. It is necessary to use the correct treatment techniques to get lasting results.

If you want a step-by-step, easy-to-follow video-based guide to permanently cure and prevent elbow pain, try the TitaniumPhysique Program today. Use the code "blog10" for a limited time to save an extra 10% OFF.

*Program Rated 5 Stars by 97% of Users

Written by: Nurudeen Tijani

Nurudeen (aka TJ) is passionate about helping people build the body they desire through weight training. He is a physique and fitness trainer, nutritionist, yoga instructor, vegan natural bodybuilder, National Physique Committee (NPC) competitor, and founder at TitaniumPhysique. Nurudeen is a member of the International Association Study of Pain (IASP) and the American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA).

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